thousands to remain without power as the death toll from sandy in the u.s. and canada has climbed to 128. obama pledged to help with both the short and long-term recovery. >> there is a lot of short-term immediate stuff that has to be dealt with, and we're going to make sure that we stay here as long as people need that immediate help. that is fema's primary task. we will be coordinating with state and local governments to make sure people are getting short-term help. there is long-term building that will be required. >> top congressional leaders are heading to the white house today to begin talks with president obama on an agreement to avert the so-called fiscal cliff of tax cuts and spending hikes set to kick in at the end of the year. obama has vowed to reject any extension of the bush era tax cuts for the wealthiest americans as part of the deal, will send republican leader mitch mcconnell thursday warned he would oppose any attempt to raise taxes. ahead of the talks, a group of lawmakers led by vermont senator bernie sanders called for a deficit reducti